Antony Worrall Thompson seeks help for shoplifting

Antony - who revealed he has been under stress after recently moving home, suffering health problems and enduring 12-hour days working in his gastropub The Greyhound, in Henley - is perplexed by his own behaviour because he would visit the supermarket and spend hundreds of pounds, yet failed to pay for a few small items.

He said he asked himself in the police station: "Why, why, why are you taking three onions?"

It is a good question - a packet of onions from Tesco only costs 95p. He added in an interview with the Daily Express newspaper:"Tesco and the police have been asking me the same questions, because the amounts that I took weren't even that big.

"All of it together only amounted to about £100. They were things like cheese, bread, onions, two packets of discounted coleslaw."

"On one occasion I paid £180 for three crates of champagne and at the same time nicked £4 of stuff. How ridiculous and how stupid."

The puzzled TV chef admitted he was scared that the shoplifting sprees could be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.

He said: "I hope I'm not going totally gaga in my old age. I have wondered whether it's something like that but I hope 60 is too young for something like Alzheimer's and I do feel that I have to take responsibility for this."